Spotlight On: Geography

The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents.Barack Obama

The words of Barack Obama certainly ring true of Geography at Challoner’s: a vibrant world where tectonic plates collide, flood waters cascade and the various physical processes that give rise to the lands we live in are combined with the study of increasing urbanisation and the challenges that this presents to us as a society.

The black and white of the textbook is brought to life in full technicolour through the vast array of visits on offer to students studying Geography. From gathering data in the River Chess, to East London, Stratford and Dorset, the DCGS Geography Team has well and truly left its mark on the map. However, the icing on the geographical cake is the visit to Iceland; the enthralling display that the geysers and aurora borealis put on never fails to inspire those A Level students who have the fortune of going on the biennial visit.

In the classroom, from Year 7 Geography provides numerous opportunities for students to develop their knowledge, and projects on areas of personal interest encourage independent learning. This builds an excellent foundation for future study: testament to this is the success Challoner’s has enjoyed with A Level students, submitting essays to the Royal Geographical Society's yearly Young Geographer of the Year competition.

Given how pertinent Geography is to understanding of the modern world, and our future, it is no wonder that it is one of the most popular subject choices at GCSE and beyond, allowing students to build bridges between their lives and the lives experienced by others across the globe.